Sexual abuse statistics

Facts and figures relating to the childhood sexual abuse and sexual assault of males

What is this page about?

Sexual abuse statistics are one way we can develop a picture of the extent of the problem of child sexual abuse or sexual assault in our community. They can help us to understand better who is assaulted, where, when, what are potential risk factors, where to direct resources to prevent further childhood sexual abuse or assault, and ensure adequate support is available.

The Sexual abuse statistics below provide a general snapshot of the reported prevalence, identified characteristics of sexual abuse and sexual assault of males. The statistics provided here are drawn from research studies and Government statistics. A description of common problems that men subjected to sexual violence may experience can be found in the ‘Managing difficulties’ section of the Living Well website. Details on the under-reporting and barriers to disclosure of child sexual abuse and male sexual assault can be found in the ‘Disclosure’ section. Also more information regarding specific statistics can be found within the ‘References and additional information’ section found at the end of this webpage.

For those unfamiliar with statistics, an extensive discussion of how to read and make sense of statistics relating to the sexual abuse of males can be found at ‘Child Abuse: Statistics, Research and Resources’. In addition, we have included further information on statistical data that can be found in the ‘References and additional information’ section at the end of this webpage [i]. When reading this information it is useful to remember that statistics operate as a general guide; whatever the statistics say, every person will have their own particular story to tell.

Focus on gender

Although most early studies of child sexual abuse and sexual assault focused on females, there is now a developing body of literature that provides information on the sexual victimisation of males. We have deliberately included some information relating to the sexual abuse of females as a way of highlighting how gender influences the prevalence, characteristics and experience of sexual abuse or sexual assault.

Male childhood sexual abuse

Definition

Definitions of child sexual abuse can vary. This variance may be attributed to differences in legal definitions between countries, or differences in defining acts that amount to child sexual abuse within studies. A simplified definition of child sexual abuse includes: Sexual act/s, including, physical, verbal or visual acts, committed by an adult towards a child. [ii]

Prevalence

Research suggests that:

Between 1 in 6 and 1 in 10 males are sexually abused before the age of 16. [iii]

Prevalence rates can vary, depending on the definition of sexual abuse used and the population participating in the research. For example, reported rates of male childhood sexual abuse range between 3% – 76%. This range takes into account various studies, including:

3% – 17% – Systematic review of 55 studies between 2002-2009 from 24 countries not including Australia or New Zealand. [v]

8% – 30% – Various international studies, including a meta analysis of 22 countries. [vi]

Childhood sexual abuse of male Australian prisoners – In a study of prevalence of childhood sexual abuse of NSW male prisoners, 16% reported being sexually abused as a child; 40% of those reporting sexual abuse as a child were abused before the age of 10. [xv]

Is indigenous.

In the “Little Children are Sacred” Report, anecdotal evidence, case studies and submissions suggest that sexual violence in indigenous communities occurs at rates that exceed those of non-indigenous communities. [xvi]

NSW Government statistics of reported incidents of sexual assault victims between 2000-2004 highlighted that indigenous males experienced sexual abuse from ages 0-15 years, in comparison to indigenous females who were more likely to be abused between ages 11-15. [xvii]

Same sex attracted males.

Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse is higher among gay and bisexual men than heterosexual men. [xviii]

Where, when, and by whom is child sexual abuse of males likely to occur?

While there are no typical circumstances that boys find themselves in when abused; compared to girls, boys are more likely to be:

The 2012 ABS Recorded Crimes – Victims’ Australia highlights the age of offenders when they reported crimes of sexual assault/abuse in 2012 [xxvii]. This means the pie chart below shows age of victims when they reported crimes, and may not be indicative of the age of victims when sexual abuse / assault occurred. See information contained in endnotes on statistical data).

Research suggests that:

Most sexual abuse of males begins before puberty, typically around 10 years. [xxx]

Boys younger than six are at greater risk of abuse by family and acquaintances.. [xxxx]

Boys older than 12 years face an increased risk of abuse by strangers. [xxxii]

Risk of sexual assault declines for adult men relative to adult women. [xxxiii]

Threats of force and physical harm increased with age and male perpetration. [xxxiv]

Sibling/adolescent perpetrated abuse

Research has shown that sibling incest has been estimated to be at least 5 times more prevalent than parent-child incest. [xxxv]

Female perpetrated sexual abuse

Female perpetrated sexual abuse is thought to be a relatively rare phenomenon compared to male perpetrated sexual abuse. Research suggests that 80% of male child sexual abuse is perpetrated by males [xxxvi]. However, studies suggest approximately 2% of females and 20% of males are abused by a female [xxxvii]. In relation to the sexual abuse of males by females, research indicates that:

Males are less likely to identify sexual contact they had with an adult woman when they were a child as sexual abuse. [vii]

In over 90% of reported cases, females use persuasion rather than actual or threatened force when committing an offence of sexual abuse. [xxxix]

Up to one third of boys who identify as being abused say curiosity led to their participation in sexual contact with older females. [xl].

Comparing male and female experiences

The table below provides a useful snapshot of the prevalence and characteristics of sexual abuse of males and females taken from a large scale study published in 2005. [xli]

Type of sexual abuse

Men % (n=7970)

Women % (n=9367)

Touched in a sexual way

13.2

22.5

Forced to touch an adult

8.1

7.9

Attempted sexual intercourse

7.3

8.6

Completed sexual intercourse

6.7

5.6

Any type of childhood sexual abuse

16.0

24.7

Note: Although females are more likely to be sexually abused than males (24.7% to 16% respectively); in this study there are a higher number of males than females reporting ‘completed sexual intercourse’

The Personal Safety Survey was the first national survey to attempt collection of sexual abuse statistics regarding males on a national level. Prior to this, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) only collected data regarding sexual assaults via the Women’s Safety Survey. The Personal Safety Survey identified:

4.5% of men and 12% of women reported being sexually abused before the age of 15.

5.5% of men reported experiencing sexual violence after the age of 15, compared to 19% of women.

0.6% of males and 1.6% of females reported sexual assault or sexual threat in the past 12 months.

Both men (44%) and women (39%) reported sexual assault by a family member or friend in the most recent incident.

Men (33%) were more likely than women (22%) to experience sexual assault by a stranger in the most recent incident.

Sexual assault of male adults

Sexual assault in institutional settings

Prison

1 in 4 New South Wales prisoners aged 18-25 years reported being sexually assaulted in prison. [xliii]

Queensland corrective service does not provide statistics of the number of sexual offences that occur in prison in its annual report.

Sexual assault in the military

2.1% of men in the United States Air Force reported some form of sexual assault in the previous 12 months [xliv] and 7% of men reported male to male sexual assault in the United States Department of Defense [xlv].

Sexual assault in war zones

There has been a 16% increase in reporting sexual assault in Afghanistan and Iraq according to United States Statistics. [xlv]

Sexual assault of gay, bisexual and transgender individuals

Approximately 50% of transgendered individuals report unwanted sexual activity within their lifetime. [xlvii]

19.6% of gay identifying men reported being forced to have sex by their partner.

14.3% of transgender males reported being forced to have sex by their partner.

25% of intersex males reported being forced to have sex by their partner.

Disclosure

Under-reporting of child sexual abuse or sexual assault

One of the difficulties in establishing a picture of the extent and circumstances of childhood sexual abuse and male sexual assault is under-reporting. Males are particularly reluctant to report childhood sexual abuse as both a child and adult.

Evidence suggests that:

Boys are less likely than girls to disclose at the time the sexual abuse occurs. [xlix]

Between 70-90% of males who have been sexually abused report not telling anyone at the time. [l]

Males disclose being sexually abused in childhood on average 22 years after the assault – 10 years later than females. [li]

Men report first in depth discussion 28 years after the sexual abuse, and first helpful in depth discussion 30 years after the abuse. [lii]

Men are more likely than women to make selective disclosure, to a limited number of people. [liii]

Men are one and a half times less likely than women to report rape to police. [liv]

Administrative data: Data that is extracted through systems responding to sexual assault (police, courts, corrections or support services). This type of data may give a good indication of recorded crime figures but it does not provide a reliable estimate in terms of prevalence, because the majority of victims/survivors do not report sexual assault to police. There may be inconsistencies between collection and recording of information across sectors or between sectors and jurisdictions. Further, police records are collected primarily for law enforcement and administration of justice (investigation and case management); statistical and management information are secondary uses of the data and therefore the whole context of which the offences takes place may not be informed by the data.

Victimization survey data: Surveys from sexual assault victims, regardless of them reporting to police. Limitations can include: Excluding vulnerable or hard to reach groups, in-depth surveys or interview may be difficult to conduct (possibly due to cost), complexity in collating the data (omitting details not comfortable discussing), possible bias, interpretation of survey questions. and sampling variability.

Although it is recognized that some studies show a range for the child sexual abuse of females to be around 20-30%: Finkelhor D, cited in Dube, R.S et al. 2005. “Long Term Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse by Gender of Victim. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 28 (5): 430-438, 430.

[v] Barth, J et al. 2013. “The current prevalence of child sexual abuse worldwide: A systematic review and meta analysis.” International Journal of public Health, 58 (3):469-483; NOTE:These statistics were based on a systematic review of 55 studies between 2002-2009 from 24 countries. No studies from Australia or New Zealand due to mostly using adult samples.

[vi] Goldman & Goldman, 1988. as cited in Healy, J. 2011. “Children and young people at risk.” Issues in Society (323): 1-65, 10;

[x] Fulu, E., Warner, X., Miedema, S., Jenkins, R., Roselli, T., & Lang, J., 2013. “Why do some men use violence against women and how can we prevent it?” Quantitative findings from the United Nations multi-country study on men and violence in Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok: UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and UNV- Note:Statistics of Bangladesh, Cambodia, china, Indonesia, PNG and Sri Lanka.

[xxiv] Victoria Police Submission to Parliamentary Inquiry: 2012. NOTE:Victoria police investigations of 2110 offences committed by clergy and church workers against 516 victims, of which 370 were committed by catholic protests or brothers. 87% of victims were boys aged 11-12.

NOTE:In this study there were 191 allegations of sexual abuse made by 180 complainants against 135 individuals. Twenty-seven of those 135 individuals had more than one complaint made against them. Sixty-seven percent of complainants were between the ages of 10 and 15 at the time of the alleged first abuse, with 51% being less than 14 years and 11% under 10 years of age. Of the 44 cases that were known to go to court, 53% resulted in a conviction.

[lii] Easton, S. D. 2012. “Disclosure of child sexual abuse among adult male survivors” Clinical Social Work Journal. Doi 10.1007/s10615-012-0420-3- NOTE- used sample of 487 men who had been sexually abused as children to look at disclosure.

Comment by Robert

Thank you, was helpful seeing that my reporting at age 46 was normal. Keep getting the facts out there. Breaking the silence takes courage, the more support and truth there is for others, the greater number will come forward.

Comment by Jess [Living Well Staff]

Robert you’re totally right, it does take huge amounts of courage. In fact we are only just beginning to understand the extent of the problem and the difficulties men face in coming forward and/or reporting. We are also becoming more and more aware of the need for increased support to assist when men do come forward.
Thanks Robert for your feedback.

Comment by georgia

Comment by Bejah Blue

Wow! I live in California and I am saddened I can not call you. What an extraordinary website. Thank you so much for this site and the richness and abundance of the data. I am a woman (69 going on 39, honestly) in love with a man (48). It is the first time in my life that I have felt this way or even knew it was possible. The rest of my life is empty by comparison with the exception of the early horrors. Meeting him was like….for a long time I could not even describe it to myself…like being in the presence of GOD….like the most incredible orgasm ever but in the mind or the soul, and to say it was like a bolt of lightening is a profound understatemnt. I asked him at the time if he felt it and he said he did. We have grown closer and closer ever since and that was about two years ago. We were both abused as children. The sexual and other forms of abuse I endured lasted many years and probably began when I was very, very young. It stopped when I stopped it at age 12. It was my own father. He took me on a business trip. In the motel there were two beds, a large one and a small one. He climbed in my bed and I ran for the door and would not go back in until he promised to send me home in the morning. He put me on a plane the next day. I did not tell my mother until I was 18. I reasoned she was to fragile to bear it! When I did tell her she at first accused me of lying and then of ruining her life because I did not tell her earlier. I do not know why I did not run away, tell anyone, or kill myself. I prayed that GOD would take him away. GOD did. He began to have a series of strokes, one worse than the last. One day at a VA hospital he reached out and took my hand (he was in a wheelchair) and I was shocked and recoiled in rage and disgust. I guess he wanted me to forgive him. I still can not. I never will. If I could get my hands on whomever abused the man I love I swear I would rip him apart with my bear hands. GOD finally took my abuser with a massive stroke. If I felt anything it was relief. I have never been married. I have profound trust issues and a pronounced fear of intimacy. I must have had orgasms because after the abuse ended I remember running hot water over myself to bring myself to climax, telling myself because it was water it was clean, pure. I am orgasmic but with the man I lived with for 8 years I had to use a vibrator. I realize now that he was never a good lover and he was only concerned with himself. He was (is) a Narcissist and of all things a sex addict (So his business associates told me near the end). I resigned myself to a celibate life alone. I did have two affairs of the heart….they were safe because there was no sex. There were meals at cafes, there was travel, but no sex. They were both married for one thing and I do not and will not ever have any serious relationship with anyone who is married. I had my safe fantasy of romance…how sad. This man I love comes close and then pushes me away. I wonder if he is gay and I asked him but he denies it. Still I know he has had sex with men. He told me. Men like sex, they are very sexual beings and I came to understand that just because they have sex with other men, that does not make them gay. They just like sex. But still I wonder. I worry. I fear AIDS for him. I fear HIV positiveness. I worry about loneliness for him. He has such a beautiful soul but he is so buried deep inside. I would and will suffer what ever I must to remain close to him, to protect him as well as I can. GOD told me that we would heal each other. GOD also told me that HE wanted us to take care of eachother. This was in the beginning. We are like soul mates. It is incredible, beautiful, frightening and I feel like we are participating in a great mystery of existence. I weep with joy and sorrow. I thank GOD every day for him and whatever time we have. He is a very beautiful man and I guess I am also. I used to be a model and still I have no gray hair and almost no wrinkles. We are the FATHERS wounded children and HE brought us together. We do take care of eachother. I ask for nothing. I have everything…true riches are in the heart. Thank you again for this wonderful website. Bejah

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